Walter Bosse Barware
Austrian, 1904-1979
Credited with thousands of works and models for ceramic pieces, Walter Bosse was an intensely prolific designer. The modernist Austrian sculptor and ceramist was best known for his distinctive “Black Golden” series of decorative objects and figurines, particularly his hedgehog ashtrays. Bosse’s mid-century and Art Deco works were popular as gifts for politicians and royalty worldwide, remaining coveted among collectors today.
Bosse was born in Vienna in 1904 to artist parents — his father, Julius, was a portrait painter for the Austrian Imperial Court. Bosse studied at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna from 1918 to 1921 under Austrian sculptor Michael Powolny and Austrian painter Franz Cizek. Later, he continued at the Munich School of Applied Arts in Germany under Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann, a founder of the Vienna Secession movement.
Early in his career, Bosse worked as a designer at several ceramics manufacturers, including Augarten Porcelain Works in 1924, Goldscheider Porcelain Manufactory and Majolica Factory in 1926 and Metzler and Ortloff in 1927. In 1925, Bosse displayed several pieces at the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts in Paris, which introduced the Art Deco style to a global audience.
In 1931, Bosse opened a shop in Kufstein, Austria, selling ceramic gift items. Owing to the crippling economic effects of the Great Depression, however, Bosse was forced to close his shop in 1937. He returned to Vienna in 1938 and opened another business, Bosse Keramik, where he sold toys, glass, textiles and more. In the late 1940s, Bosse experimented with small-scale brass sculptures and desk accessories coated in black ceramic glaze. With Austrian designer Herta Baller, Bosse formed the Bosse-Baller company to manufacture the “Black Golden” line of figurines, which became wildly popular worldwide.
Despite Bosse’s success, he struggled financially and moved to Iserlohn, Germany, in 1953. Meanwhile, Baller continued to manufacture and sell Bosse’s designs, which were so popular that forgers copied and sold counterfeit editions of Bosse’s works around the world. The 1950s marked the debut of the artist’s whimsically zoomorphic hedgehog ashtrays — these were cast in brass, and a hedgehog ashtray in any other material is not a Bosse original.
Bosse spent the rest of his life embroiled in court battles to protect his designs, leaving him penniless by the time he died. Today authentic Bosse pieces — from wall-mounted sculptures to tableware — continue to be highly sought after by collectors.
Find vintage Walter Bosse serveware, wall decorations and more on 1stDibs.
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Creator: Walter Bosse
Rare bottle opener from walter bosse vienna around 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Rare bottle opener from walter bosse vienna around 1950s
Original condition
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Bottle Opener Shows a Elephant Vienna Around 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse Bottle Opener Shows a Elephant Vienna Around 1950s
Original condition
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Brass Cat Figurine Bottle Stopper Pourer, Baller Austria, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic early 1950s Austrian Bosse cat Figurine Collectible. Nice addition to your room or just for your collection of Austrian bronze items. Found at an estate sale in Vienna, Austr...
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass, Bronze
Walter Bosse Brass Cat Figurine Bottle Stopper Pourer, Baller Austria, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic early 1950s Austrian Bosse cat Figurine Collectible. Nice addition to your room or just for your collection of Austrian bronze items. Found at an estate sale in Vienna, Austr...
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass, Bronze
Walter Bosse Corkscrew Horseshoe Vienna, Austria, 1950s, Mid-Century
By Walter Bosse
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic early 1950s Austrian Walter Bosse design corkscrew in the form of a horseshoe. Nice addition to your room or just for your collection of Austrian bronze items. Found at an es...
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Bronze
Walter Bosse Bottle Opener, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Walter Bosse cat bottle opener, 1950s
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass, Nickel, Metal
Cat Cork Screw, Brass Blackened, Walter Bosse Vienna, Austria
By Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A cork screw in the shape of a cat by Walter Bosse made of partially blackened brass.
Category
1950s Austrian Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Two Owls Bottle Stopper by Walter Bosse
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Two Owls bottle stopper by Walter Bosse
2 are available, priced and sold per piece.
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Sword Fish Cork Screw, Brass Blackened, Hertha Baller/Walter Bosse Vienna, AUT
By Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A cork screw in shape of a sword fish by Hertha Baller/Walter Bosse.
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Bottle Opener Shows an Penguin by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Bottle opener shows an penguin by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Bottle Opener Shows an Penguin by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Wien, AT
Bottle opener shows an penguin by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s.
Original condition
(J B).
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Brass Cat Wine Bottle Holder by Herta Baller Vienna, Austria, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A sculptural mid-century wine caddy / bottle holder from the 1950s, displaying a cat. A humorous design by Walter Bosse and manufactured by Hertha Baller in Vienna, Austria. Construc...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Cow Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming midcentury bottle opener/cork screw, displaying a cow. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Herta Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of polished brass, in ve...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Bottle Opener by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Wien, AT
Bottle opener by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s.
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Metal, Brass
Walter Bosse Dwarf Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming midcentury bottle opener/cork screw, displaying a dwarf. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of black-finished brass, i...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Rabbit Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming Mid-Century bottle opener / cork screw, displaying a rabbit. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of polished brass...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Dwarf Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming Mid-Century bottle opener/cork screw, displaying a dwarf. A humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of black-finished brass, ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Walter Bosse Cow Brass Cork Screw Bottle Opener, Herta Baller, Austria, 1950s
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Vienna, AT
A charming Mid-Century bottle opener/cork screw, displaying a cow. A very humorous design by Walter Bosse, executed by Hertha Baller Austria in the 1950s. Made of polished brass, in ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Big Brass Cat Bottle Holder by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Wien, AT
Big brass cat bottle holder by Walter Bosse, circa 1950s
(The Bottle is only decoration, not for sale)
Original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Brass Wine Bottle Holder by Walter Bosse
By Walter Bosse, Herta Baller
Located in Wien, AT
Amazing brass wine bottle holder by Walter Bosse
original condition.
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
Austrian Midcentury Brass Cat Wine Bottle Holder by Walter Bosse
By Herta Baller, Walter Bosse
Located in Vienna, AT
Big iconic Austrian 1950s brass cat bottle holder.
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Walter Bosse Barware
Materials
Brass
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Walter Bosse barware for sale on 1stDibs.
Walter Bosse barware are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of metal and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Walter Bosse barware, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original barware by Walter Bosse were created in the mid-century modern style in europe during the mid-20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider barware by Herta Baller, Richard Rohac, and Werkstätte Carl Auböck. Prices for Walter Bosse barware can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $120 and can go as high as $890, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $390.
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